A couple of the others chuckled at his suggestion.

  Katia did not. The takin’ off part was too close to what happened when someone underwent reanimation. They just found out the body was missing?” she asked.

  The lady shrugged, causing the rabbits to dance around. “If the coffin was closed they wouldn’t know, would they?”

  “I bet it was demons,” another man suggested. “They do stuff like that. Take bodies, you know.”

  “Hellspawn aren’t interested in dead people,” Katia replied.

  “You sure of that?” the second man asked, frowning over at her now.

  “Yeah, I am. I’m a Demon Trapper.”

  “Why would a girl do stuff like that?” the first man asked.

  “A job is a job,” she said, ignoring the girl part. “Any idea whose body wandered off?”

  There were shrugs all around.

  “Did any of you see a thin guy hanging around the funeral home? Pale, like he didn’t get out in the sun much.”

  There were head shakes until it came to the lady in the sundress.

  “I did the other day. He was sitting in a car in the parking lot next door, just watching the place. I almost called the police, but then he drove off and I never saw him again.”

  “What did the car look like?”

  “Black. Nothing special. I didn’t see the license plate.”

  “Why did you ask?”

  Apparently, these folks hadn’t seen this morning’s news headlines. “Because this isn’t the only body that’s gone missing.”

  “I told you!” the first man crowed. “Give it a few days and there’ll be even more. They’ll take over this entire city, you just wait.”

  She left them debating whether it was a zombie invasion or if someone was selling the bodies for their organs. Neither of which were realistic, but everyone would have a theory. And none of them would be right.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  The trip back to the Guild meeting did nothing for Katia’s nerves. It was as if all of Atlanta’s irrational drivers had decided to come out at once, but it was the middle of rush hour. Or as Simon had patiently explained, rush hours.

  This was her first trappers’ meeting in her new home. There’d been two others, but she and Simon had been at exorcisms and missed them both.

  The church where the meeting was being held had a large parking lot which was currently full of trucks and the occasional SUV, the kind that were expensive to run even though a couple had solar panels on their roof. At least the price of gas had continued to drop.

  It was easy to tell these were trappers because of the cages. The demon decals on the sides of the vehicles were another big clue. Riley’s car sat a few slots down from where Katia parked, Simon’s a few rows over.

  Over the last seven and a half weeks, it had slowly sunk in how bad it’d been for her in Lawrence, and how many of her coping skills hadn’t been intelligent, or survivable. The heavy drinking had scared her, which was why she’d backed away from alcohol since she’d arrived in Atlanta.

  She’d used booze to deal with her brother’s coma, the trauma of losing a master she’d really liked, and then the nightmare that had come with the one that had taken his place.

  One night she’d finally admitted to Grand Master Stewart what she’d been doing. She’d expected him to criticize, but instead he’d told her that sometimes, in the middle of a crisis we make decisions that weren’t that smart. That was human. He’d done the same, he said.

  But if she craved that next drink, then she needed help to avoid what Master Harper had suffered all those years. Stewart’s kindness and honesty had made all the difference. Now that she was working in this crazy city, Katia felt no need to bury herself in a bottle of vodka. And that was a blessing.

  After retrieving her trapping bag from the car, she made sure to lock it. She’d miss having the ability to get around on her own without asking Simon or Riley for a ride.

  Apartment first, then car. It’d become a mantra now.

  Then she wanted to join a gym. Maybe one of them would have a bōjitsu class. Unlike back home, here she had so many things she looked forward to.

  Once Katia trudged up the long set of stairs to the church entrance, she paused and turned around. Something had happened here, something bad, she could feel it. Something demonic. It was like oil sheeting across her skin, along with the faint stench of sulfur.

  “Hi, are you Breman?” a voice asked.

  She turned to find a young guy standing behind her. He was probably in his early thirties, tall, tanned, and with muscles in all the right places. With that long blond hair he could easily be a model. She could just see him clad in armor and toting a sword on the cover of a romance novel.

  Katia dragged her mind back to the conversation. “I am Breman.” Please don’t be a jerk.

  “I’m Reynolds,” he said, smiling at her now.

  That was a name she’d heard more than once, and all of it had been positive.

  “Good to meet you, Reynolds,” she said, relieved. “Can you help me? I have no clue where to go for the meeting.”

  “I’ll show you.”

  “Thank you.” But she didn’t move, still trying to figure out why this location bothered her. “What happened here?”

  “Here, like . . . ” He pointed at the ground beneath them.

  “Yes. Something to do with Hellspawn. I can feel it.”

  Reynolds blinked in surprise. “Really?”

  She nodded, not sure if she should have said anything. If he told the other trappers then she’d get a reputation for being crazy.

  “Ohhkay,” he said. His cheerful expression had vanished now. “Master Blackthorne killed an Archfiend down there,” he said, pointing at the bottom of the concrete stairs. “Maybe that’s what you’re sensing.”

  That was it. “How long ago?”

  “Ah, last December. It was the third one she’d killed.” Reynolds huffed at that point. “The dickhead from National got unstuck about that, ran his mouth in front of all of us, right here,” he said. “He had the balls to tell her that no matter how many Archfiends she killed, she’d never be a master.” A big grin appeared. “No surprise, Riley proved him wrong. You do not mess with that woman. Ever.”

  Katia matched his grin.

  Reynolds looked down the stairs again. “You can actually feel things like that?”

  “Only if it’s really strong.”

  “Huh. Not me. But I am not complaining.” He paused and then added, “So, what do you think of Atlanta?”

  It was a smooth change of topic, and she appreciated it. It seemed everyone asked her that question and her answer was always the same.

  “I like it. Different, but not boring.” So not boring.

  “Like last night in the cemetery?” he asked, eyeing her as they made their way toward the church’s front doors.

  “Heard about that, huh?” A nod returned. “Scared the hell out of me.”

  “Would have done the same to me. That’s why I never grave sit. Too damned many creepy things out there as it is.” As they reached the entrance, he added, “You already have a good rep with most of this crew because of what you did with Simon. You know, saving those kids. Don’t let any of the assholes bother you.”

  That she hadn’t expected. “Thanks. It’s good to know that.”

  Carefully stepping over a thick line of Holy Water at the double doors, though why they’d do that in a church she didn’t know, Katia followed Reynolds into the building and then down a long hallway. Like most churches there were bulletin boards on both sides. They listed various activities, like a quilt group, a schedule for a local food pantry, then there were drawings from the little kids and the occasional Bible verse. For a moment Katia felt like she was back in Lawrence.

  Eventually they entered a large room where there were rows and rows of folding chairs, along with the scent of fresh-brewed coffee. At the front of the room were two chairs placed up on a small dais. She guessed those were for the masters.

  Not knowing if there was any order as to where people sat—there certainly hadn’t been in Kansas—she followed Reynolds to the front and chose a place at the end of a row. After a nod he wandered off to talk with other trappers.

  “Hey, Katia!” She turned to find one of Riley’s apprentices taking a seat right behind her. “How’s it going?”

  “Hey, Jaye. Good. Well, mostly. Nothing bad in the trapping part of my life, at least.”

  “Yeah, I heard about the grave robbing. That had to suck.”

  “It was nasty, that’s for sure,” Katia said. She could still feel the scorching burn of the magic as it left her body and flowed into the earth. Eager to change the subject, she said, “I hear your journeyman’s exam is coming up.”

  Jaye’s smile dimmed. “I’m really worried.”

  “You shouldn’t be. You’ll do fine.” Riley had casually mentioned that if anyone could ace the exam, it’d be Jaye. Katia certainly hadn’t.

  “I hope so. It’s really scary.”

  “Riley will make sure you do well. Don’t doubt it.”

  Jaye gave a nod, then was distracted by another trapper walking up to chat with her.

  Katia looked around and found Simon talking to a couple of guys. He glanced at her, then turned away as if he hadn’t seen her. But he had, and his reaction was odd. Usually, he was a lot more polite.

  Master Jackson climbed up the stairs onto the dais. He was followed by Master Harper who parked himself in one of the chairs. He gave her a penetrating glance, then shifted back to watching the other trappers with that same intense stare that made most people squirm. Katia always did.

  She plucked a pamphlet off the chair and sat down. It was a religious tract so she set it on the empty space to her right, then waited as the others settled into their seats. There were murmurs around her, and she heard “Kansas” and “Breman” a couple times.

  “Okay, people. Time to get started,” Jackson said, shuffling papers on the lectern in front of him.

  What followed was various bits of good, or less-than-good news delivered in the master’s calm tone. Someone’s elevation to journeyman was announced and there was clapping and cheers, at least from most of the trappers. A small group of them along the far wall were noticeably quiet. Katia made a mental note to ask Riley who they were.

  It was eventually her turn to be introduced. She stood, trying not to look nervous.

  “Let’s give an Atlanta welcome to Journeyman Katia Breman. She’s working with Simon during the exorcisms and doing a damned good job,” Jackson said, smiling down at her.

  More unexpected praise, and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. She heard a couple of grumbles about “Kansas” but she ignored them. If this had been a Lawrence meeting mentioning Georgia would have had the same reaction.

  “They have any demons in the sticks?” someone called out. It was one of the guys along the far wall.

  “Yeah, we have a few. Not like here, though,” she said, not wanting to make any enemies.

  “That’s for sure,” another voice called. “Welcome to Atlanta, Breman. Not your fault you used to live in the middle of nowhere.”

  Katia ignored that one. Of course, there were laughs, then she was no longer in the spotlight and the meeting moved on. The main topic of discussion shifted to how there appeared to be fewer Hellspawn in the city now.

  “Probably having a meeting in Hell,” someone called out. “You know, like ours only with more screaming.”

  That’d be about right.

  Katia could just imagine the Prince giving all his fiends a pep talk. More likely he’d execute a few just to improve morale. From what she’d seen of him, that’d be his style.

  “Ask the new girl. She’s been there. Or so they claim,” another voice called out.

  She refused to take the bait.

  “Hey, new girl!” a guy called out. “You really been to Hell? What’s it like?”

  They weren’t going to back down. “Zero stars,” she called back. “It pretty much blows. And don’t get me started on the smell,” she said, hoping that would be the end of it.

  “Yeah, told you. It’s all b.s.,” another trapper said.

  “Adler doesn’t lie. Can’t do it even if he wanted to,” someone insisted.

  Oh yes he can.

  Still, it was always smart to have someone underestimate you.

  “What about it, Adler?” one of the trappers asked.

  Simon rose. “Been there. It’s Hell, what more can I say?” Then he sat down.

  That was abrupt even by his standards.

  “Right now, we have no idea why the demons are thin on the ground, and once we do, we’ll let you know,” Jackson said. “Frankly, it’s puzzled everyone, even the grand masters.” He looked out into the room. “Harvey, you got a question?”

  The man lowered his hand and stood. “I do. We have that winged bastard roaming around the city now. You know, the one that works for Hell. He’s killing demons that we should be trapping. How do we stop that? He’s cutting into my trapping fees.”

  “I’m thinking you mean Ori, and the last thing we want to do is try to stop him. You challenge him and you’ll end up dead. And the word is he’s not working for Hell anymore, so he’s on our side,” Jackson said.

  “Not if he’s keeping me from earning a paycheck.”

  Riley rose now. “I talked to him a couple days ago about this. He’s agreed to do most of his hunting outside of Atlanta because there aren’t that many demons. He realizes what that means to us. He’s only going after the really dangerous ones.”

  “You believe a Fallen? That’s just nuts.’

  The master frowned. “Yes, I believe this formerly Fallen angel. Because he’s the reason this city isn’t a smoking crater full of burned up corpses.”

  Jackson cut in now. “Okay, thank you. One last thing—according to National our dues will be going up the first of September, so don’t be surprised if your license renewal fee rises as well.”

  There were groans, which Katia joined in. The last thing she needed was more expenses.

  “And now Master Blackthorne has news for us,” Jackson said, nodding at Riley. She rose and walked up to the front of the room.

  “The summoners have an issue that shouldn’t be a problem for us, but if you see something odd going on, let me know.”

  Then she delivered a shortened version of what had happened at the city’s cemeteries, that the summoner involved wasn’t a local, and that the mayor wanted something done now.

  “Not our problem,” someone called out. There were mutters of agreement.

  “Might not be right now, but weird crap tends to spread. Just let me know if you see a summoner doing something they shouldn’t be doing. I don’t want one of us in the crossfire if something goes wrong.”

  More muttering, but some agreement now. She nodded to Jackson, then returned to her seat.

  “And finally,” Jackson continued, “the number of unlicensed trappers in the city has shot up in the last couple of months. We’re working with the city authorities to deal with that. It’s tough enough making a living without having someone else steal your paycheck.”

  “There’s only one way to deal with those assholes,” a man called out.

  “Keep it legal,” Harper said, the first time he’d spoken during the entire meeting. “That way it doesn’t blow back on us. Because if it does, then I’m going to nail whoever crosses the line. Got it?”

  More murmurs, followed by nods.

  And then it was over. Katia sighed in relief, then turned to talk to Jaye, but she was already gone.

  Reynolds rejoined her. “Was this like back home?”

  “Pretty close. Except no one was complaining about which football team lost their last game.”

  “Wait for it, it’ll happen soon enough.” He hesitated. “Maybe someday you and I can go get a drink together?”

  It took longer than it should have to realize what he was asking.

  “Sure, sometime down the line would be good. Things are kind of strange for me right now,” she said. Nothing about Reynolds made her nervous, but she’d still check with Riley just in case.

  “Cool! See you later, Katia.”

  She watched as he headed for the door, which took a bit longer than he probably would have liked as trappers wanted to talk to him. Clearly the guy was popular.

  “Let’s see if I can read your expression,” her master said as she appeared at Katia’s side. “You’re wondering if Reynolds is on the level,” Riley said. “He is a nice guy and is even hotter now that he’s ditched his full beard.” She paused, then continued, “He is also a player. Not in a bad sort of way, but he doesn’t stick with one girlfriend for long.”

  “Understood. Having a drink with him is fine, anything beyond that is probably not an option.”

  “Who knows, you might be the one keeper in his hoard of lady friends.”

  Katia laughed at that thought. “Not likely. I’ve got enough going on without all that.”

  “There’s been rumors about you and Simon hooking up.”

  Katia stared at her boss. “No, we’re just friends.”

  “And that’s what he needs right now—a good friend.” A pause, and then, “And maybe more.”

  Rather than follow up on that, she went with something Stewart had mentioned a while back. “Simon’s qualified to take the master’s exam. Why hasn’t he?”

  Riley raised an eyebrow, showing she knew that Katia was purposely changing the subject.

  “I think he let it slide because he felt awful how everything played out between us. Then by the time he returned to Atlanta he was an exorcist. He’s been flat-out busy ever since then. Why?”